The jet set hasn’t descended on the French archipelago of Guadeloupe just yet, which makes it ideal for a great-value, no-fuss long winter weekend

If your ideal beach vacation depends on private butlers, elaborate spa treatments and a choice of infinity swimming pools—well, you can comfortably skip Guadeloupe. The French archipelago, which lies roughly two-thirds down the arc of Caribbean islands, doesn’t (yet) have a single five-star hotel; its beaches are absent of mega-resorts....